Tested: 2022 BMW M5 CS Hits the Gym
From the January 2022 issue of Car and Driver.
Most car companies are content with an ounce here and a gram there when they pull weight out of their cars. So when BMW announced that the new M5 CS would be 230 pounds lighter than the 4243-pound M5 Competition, we were skeptical. As bariatric physicians and our tech department are fond of saying, the scales don’t lie. At the weigh-in, the CS registered 4096 pounds, or 147 pounds less than the Competition. Not quite the result promised, but still a big move in the right direction.
To drop those pounds, a carbon-fiber hood joins the standard M5’s carbon-fiber roof, but the main weight loss comes from removing sound-deadening material and swapping the luxury-grade thrones for the lightweight racing-style front seats from the M3. BMW didn’t pull out all the stuffing, though, as the CS remains placid, measuring a low 66 decibels at 70 mph, matching a 2018 M5 we tested on the same surface.
Jessica Lynn Walker
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Car and Driver
HIGHS: Less mass and more fun than any recent M5, still as refined as the standard M5.
To make the most of the lighter M5, BMW wrung 10 extra horsepower out of the Competition’s twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. With 627 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque churning through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, the M5 CS posts a 2.6-second time to 60 mph and a quarter-mile speed of 130 mph in 10.6 seconds. The trans pops off shifts and shows its commitment in its most race-car-like mode as it slots itself into the right gear under braking to give you what you need for the corner.
Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4s are a no-cost option. Likely thanks to the Corsas, steering feedback is clearer and there’s simply more of it. While the weight loss is excellent, it doesn’t result in a completely different driving experience. We’d guess that fitting these aggressive tires to an M5 Competition and removing marzipan from your diet would likely have a similar effect. But you would miss out on the CS’s revised dampers. Unlike in every M car we can recall, selecting the most aggressive damper setting, Sport Plus, doesn’t turn the suspension to granite, and the ride quality remains appropriate for a sports sedan.
Jessica Lynn Walker
|
Car and Driver
LOWS: The manual Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing exists.
On the skidpad, the CS delivered an easy and controllable 1.02 g, 0.05 more than the Competition. Combine the extra grip, the secure body control, and the enlivened steering, and you get a canyon-ripping sports sedan that will shrink most sports cars in its rearview mirror.
Perhaps you’re wondering what CS stands for. Maybe it’s Challenge Special or Calorie Suppression. What we know is that when BMW pulls weight out of a car and adds those letters, it will include a Customer Surcharge. At least your $143,995 covers all the Competition hardware and the M Driver’s package that bumps up the top speed and comes with some driving lessons. That price is barely more than what you’ll pay for a comparably equipped Competition, and the CS’s tires and tuning make for a quicker, livelier, and more dialed-in M5.
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Specifications
Specifications
2022 BMW M5 CS
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all/rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $143,995/$148,995
Options: Frozen Brands Hatch Grey paint, $5000
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 268 in3, 4395 cm3
Power: 627 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 553 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.8-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/15.0-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc
Tires: Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4
F: 275/35ZR-20 (102Y) ★
R: 285/35ZR-20 (104Y) ★
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 117.4 in
Length: 196.4 in
Width: 74.9 in
Height: 57.8 in
Passenger Volume: 102 ft3
Trunk Volume: 14 ft3
Curb Weight: 4096 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 2.6 sec
100 mph: 6.2 sec
1/4-Mile: 10.6 sec @ 130 mph
150 mph: 15.5 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.8 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.5 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.5 sec
Top Speed (mfr’s claim): 190 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 150 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 294 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.02 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 18 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 17/15/21 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
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Tony Quiroga
Editor-in-Chief
Tony Quiroga is an 18-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. “Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It’s the place I wanted to work since I could read,” Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D’s early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years.
